The Golden Rules of Potting for any Gardener

If you are at a stage where you would like your garden to display a little more character, you could candidly achieve this by placing a few potting plants around your garden, patio or even on your windowsills if you are restricted by space. As you know, all plants look their most beautiful when they start to bloom, but having them in potting containers will really help to distinguish each of them from the rest! In any gardening store, you will find that there is a huge range of potting containers available, with plenty of different colours and styles to help you create a real and genuine theme for your garden. However, there are certain golden rules to abide by if you decide to bring pots into your garden.

Choosing your pots

When you are shopping for your pots you must make sure that the pots are large enough for the plant you plan to grow in them. They will also need drainage holes in the bottom so you can water them without drowning them! Terracotta pots are a very popular choice as they are ideal for long-term planting; they are good at coping with cold weather and their weight helps with their stability. However, due to their porous properties means that your plants will need watering regularly. Other pots which are glazed or made from stone will look really charming in the garden as you can pick from a huge range of styles. Plastic pots will work well too but you may need to give your plants some extra insulation when the weather turns colder to protect the roots from freezing in the soil.

Prepare your pots for planting

When you are ready for planting, you can either take your pots to your potting bench to begin this preparation or, if you don't have one, you can do this where you plan on putting your pots in the garden.

Firstly, you need to prevent the drainage holes at the bottom from being blocked by filling the bottom of the pot with pieces of old broken pots, or rocks. You must also make sure that when you are displaying pots on a paved area that the pots will be slightly raised from the ground so that the moisture doesn't build up.

Next, fill your pots with the correct compost for the plants you will be planting. You can get multi-purpose compost to do this but if you want to definitely ensure that your plants grow to their fullest potential you should research into which compost is best for them. Fill your pot so that the top of the compost is about an inch from the rim of the pot. Dig a little hole for where you want your plants to be arranged and fill in the rest of the compost.

Following up on your pots

Be sure to water your plants regularly so that the soil doesn't dry up and replace the top layer of soil with fresh soil every so often. This will give the plants an extra boost of nutrients and will help them to continue growing.